Multi-piece range

ABSTRACT

A range hood configured to direct exhaust from a cooktop toward a blower assembly. The blower assembly and the range hood are configured to be attached to cabinetry having a predetermined opening between at least two cabinets included in the cabinetry. A barrier is placed around the predetermined opening to guard against damage to surfaces around the range hood.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/350,483, filed Jun. 9, 2022, whichis expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to ventilation systems, and particularlyto kitchen ventilation systems. More particularly, the presentdisclosure relates to a range ventilation system.

SUMMARY

According to the present disclosure, a cooktop range is configured to bemounted to cabinetry above a cooktop. The cooktop range includes ablower assembly defining an exhaust inlet and a barrier coupled to thecabinetry adjacent to the inlet to protect the cabinetry from effluentsbeing removed by the blower assembly. The blower assembly includes a fanhousing defining the inlet that opens toward the cooktop and a fanarranged to lie within the fan housing and configured to vent air andparticles through the inlet. The barrier is coupled to adownwardly-facing surface of the cabinetry to lie between the fanhousing and the cabinetry to block heat and particles from reaching thedownwardly-facing surface of the cabinetry.

In illustrative embodiments, the barrier includes a first barrier paneland a second barrier panel. The first and second barrier panels aremovable relative to the blower to increase or decrease a width of thebarrier during installation so that the width of the barrier matches acabinet width of the downwardly-facing surface of the cabinetry

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, aprotective barrier is configured to be coupled to a surface of cabinetryadjacent to an opening formed in the cabinetry to block heat andparticles from reaching the surface of the cabinetry. The protectivebarrier includes a first barrier panel and a second barrier panel. Thefirst and second barrier panels are movable relative to the blower toincrease or decrease a width of the barrier during installation so thatthe width of the barrier matches a cabinet width of thedownwardly-facing surface of the cabinetry. The first barrier panel andthe second barrier panel each include a panel base and at least onebreakaway section separated from the panel base by a frangible breakawayline. Each of the breakaway sections is removable from the panel base toadjust the width of the barrier. Each panel base has a first thicknessand each breakaway line has a second thickness less than the firstthickness so that the breakaway panels are separable from the panel basewhen desired.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method includesinstalling a protective barrier for a range hood configured to protect asurface of cabinetry located adjacent to an exhaust inlet. The methodfurther includes measuring a cabinet width between two cabinets arrangedon opposite sides of the exhaust inlet from one another. The methodfurther includes obtaining a first barrier panel and a second barrierpanel, each barrier panel including a panel base and at least onebreakaway section coupled to the panel base by a breakaway line. Themethod further includes removing at least one breakaway section from thepanel base along the breakaway line. The method further includes placingeach barrier panel on opposite sides of the exhaust inlet from oneanother such that inner edges of each barrier panel coincide with theexhaust inlet.

Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent tothose skilled in the art upon consideration of illustrative embodimentsexemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presentlyperceived.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figuresin which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a range hood installed on cabinetry andincluding a protective barrier that is configured to be attached to adownwardly-facing surface of the cabinetry to protect thedownwardly-facing surface from heat, smoke, or other debris andelements;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 with a portion of therange hood removed from the cabinetry to show that the protectivebarrier includes a plurality of panels that are repositionable andreconfigurable to be installed on cabinetry having a various widths;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the protective barrier from FIGS. 1 and 2showing that the protective barrier includes a plurality of breakawaysections that can be separated from the rest of the protective barrierdepending on the width of the downwardly-facing surface of the cabinetryto which the protective barrier is attached;

FIG. 4 is a series of bottom views of various range hood configurationswith different amounts of breakaway sections removed from the rest ofeach respective protective barrier and showing that each protectivebarrier has a different width depending on how many breakaway sectionsare left attached to the rest of the protective barrier;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the range hood from FIGS. 1-4 with afront barrier panel installed on a front end of the protective barrierand a pair of side barrier panels installed on respective lateral endsof the protective barrier;

FIG. 6 is an exploded assembly view of the range hood from FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of the range hood including a rearbarrier panel installed on a rear end of the protective barrier; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the range hood arranged in acollapsed-storage configuration where each of the components of therange hood can be stacked and boxed for shipment to consumers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A cooktop range hood 10 in accordance with the present disclosure isconfigured to be attached removably to cabinetry 12, a microwave, oranother structure around the cabinetry 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 .The cooktop range hood 10 is positioned directly above a cooktop 16 andis configured to capture and direct effluents away from the space abovethe cooktop 16 and below the cooktop range hood 10.

The cooktop range hood 10 includes a blower assembly 18 mounted in agenerally central region above the cooktop 16 and a protective barrier20 positioned to cover one or more surfaces of the cabinetry 12 as shownin FIGS. 1 and 2 . The blower assembly 18 is configured to provide avacuum force above the cooktop 16 to remove air, particles and effluentsaway from the cooktop 16. The protective barrier 20 covers surfaces ofthe cabinetry not already covered by the blower assembly 18 to protectthe cabinetry from heat, moisture, particles or other effluents thatcould damage the cabinetry 12.

The blower assembly 18 includes a fan housing 22 and a fan 24 arrangedto lie within the fan housing 22 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . The fanhousing 22 may be made from a metallic material and is formed to definean inlet 26 that opens toward the cooktop 16. The inlet 26 is formed ina bottom wall 22B of the fan housing 22 facing toward the cooktop 16.The fan 24 is configured to draw air, particles and effluents throughthe inlet 26 during operation of the fan 24. The fan housing 22 is alsoformed to define an outlet 28 that discharges the air, particles and/oreffluents from the fan housing 22. The outlet 28, in the illustrativeembodiment, is formed in a top wall 22T of the fan housing 22 oppositethe bottom wall 22B. The outlet 28 opens into a ventilation duct 30 thatleads away from the cooktop 16 (i.e. to an outdoor area). In otherembodiments, the outlet 28 may discharge filtered air back into the roomwhere the cooktop range hood 10 is located. The blower assembly 18 mayalso include one or more screens, grates, and/or filters to removeeffluents and particles from the air entering the inlet 26.

The barrier 20 is coupled to a downwardly-facing surface 32 of thecabinetry 12 and lies between the fan housing 22 and the cabinetry 12 toblock heat and particles from reaching the downwardly-facing surface 32of the cabinetry 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . The barrier 20 includesa first barrier panel 34 and a second barrier panel 36. The firstbarrier panel 34 is configured to cover a first portion (e.g. firsthalf) of the downwardly-facing surface 32 of the cabinetry 12. Thesecond barrier panel 36 is configured to cover a second portion (e.g.second half) of the downwardly-facing surface 32 of the cabinetry 12. Inthe illustrative embodiment, both the first panel 34 and the secondpanel 36 of the barrier 20 are made from a metallic material such asstainless steel, for example. Other panels may also be included in theprotective barrier 20 to cover other surfaces of the cabinetry 12 suchas a rear wall 38, lateral sidewalls 40, 42, or any other surfaces ofthe cabinetry 12 or the building that may be exposed to heat andparticles produced by or on cooktop 16.

The first and second barrier panels 34, 36 are movable relative to theblower assembly 18 to increase or decrease a width 44 of the protectivebarrier 20 during installation so that the width 44 of the protectivebarrier 20 matches a cabinet width 46 of the downwardly-facing surface32 of the cabinetry 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and as suggested inFIGS. 3 and 4 . The configuration of each of the barrier panels 34, 36is substantially similar to the other and includes a panel base 48 thatis configured to be mounted to the downwardly-facing surface 32 of thecabinetry 12, and a plurality of breakaway sections 50 coupled to thepanel base 48 and one another along frangible, breakaway lines 52. Eachof the plurality of breakaway sections 50 may be removed from the panelbase 48 and from one another along the frangible, breakaway lines 52. Inthe illustrative embodiment, the frangible breakaway lines 52 areprovides as areas of each respective barrier panel 34, 36 where there isa decreased thickness compared to other areas of the panel base 48 andthe breakaway sections 50. The breakaway lines 52 may be formed bymechanically deforming, scoring, and/or etching the breakaway lines 52into the panel base 48.

A person installing the cooktop range hood 10 can remove one or more ofthe breakaway sections 50 by applying a force (e.g. repeated bendingand/or shearing) between one breakaway section 50 and the panel base 48until the frangible, breakaway line 52 is broken. In some embodiments,the first and second barrier panels 34, 36 have no openings that extendall the way through a thickness of the first and second barrier panels34, 36 along the frangible, breakaway lines 52. This provides acontinuous fire and/or particle barrier across each of the breakawaysections 50 since some of the breakaway sections 50 may not be removedfrom the panel base 48 depending on the width 46 of the cabinet.

Each of the plurality of breakaway sections 50 is defined by a concaveinner edge 54, a convex outer edge 56, and opposing generally straightside edges 58, 60. The concave inner edge 54 is shaped with a curvaturethat matches the ventilation duct 30 and/or outlet 28. In theillustrative embodiment, the inner edges 54 of the first and secondbarrier panels 34, 36 form a circle when brought together around theventilation duct 30 and/or outlet 38. However, in other embodiments, theinner edges 54 can have any shape to match a duct or outlet with acorresponding shape.

The convex outer edge 56 and side edges 58, 60 of each breakaway section50 are provided by a respective frangible, breakaway line 52. The convexouter edges 56 interface with a concave inner edge 54 of a neighboringbreakaway section 50 or the panel base 48 when the panels are connectedto one another. Thus, the convex outer edges 56 all have the samecurvature or shape as the concave inner edges 54.

During installation of the protective barrier 20, the width 46 of thesurface to which the cooktop range hood 10 will be mounted is determinedby an installer. Many cabinets have a predetermined width 46 above acooktop 16 that is equal to one of the following: 21 inches, 24 inches,30 inches, 36 inches, or 42 inches. Accordingly, the plurality ofbreakaway sections 50 are spaced apart from one another so that theprotective barrier 20 can correspond to one of these widths. Forexample, the inner edge 54 of an innermost breakaway section 50 cancorrespond to a width 46 of 42 inches. If it is determined that thewidth 46 of the downwardly-facing surface 32 of the cabinetry 12 is 30inches, then the first two innermost breakaway sections 50 can beremoved and the first and second barrier panels 34, 36 can be adjustedinwardly so that the protective barrier 20 matches the width 46 of thesurface 32 as suggested in FIG. 4 . Once one or more breakaway sections50 are removed, the first and second barrier panels 34, 36 are slidinwardly toward one another so that the inner edge 54 of the remaininginnermost breakaway section 50 or panel base 48 interfaces with the duct30 and/or outlet 28. Portions of the first and second barrier panels 34,36 may overlap with one another when fully installed on the cabinetry12.

In general, more breakaway sections 50 left attached to the panel base48 coincides with a greater width 44 of the protective barrier 20 assuggested in FIG. 4 . The number of breakaway sections 50 and/or spacingbetween inner edges 54 of each breakaway section 50 can be adjusted sothat the protective barrier 20 can be used with other widths 46 andducts 30. In some embodiments, the breakaway panels 50 may have varyingwidths. For example, the innermost breakaway panels 50 may have a firstwidth and while outer breakaway panels 50 have a second width 92 lessthan the first width 90. In some embodiments, the first width 90 may beless than the second width 92.

In some embodiments, the panel base 48 may be formed to includeadditional breakaway lines and/or bend lines 62 that extend parallel toan outermost edge 64 of the panel base 48 from a front end 48F of thepanel base 48 to a rear end 48R of the panel base 48 as shown in FIG. 3. The panel bases 48 can be bent along lines 62 to further adjust thewidth 44 of the protective barrier 20 if the width 46 of the cabinetry12 is slightly different than one of the predetermined widths thatcoincide with the breakaway sections 50. Illustratively, spacing betweeneach additional line 62 is smaller than spacing between the inner edges54 of the breakaway sections 50, however, any suitable spacing may beused. Some exemplary widths of between the additional lines 62 include ¼inch, ⅜ inch, ½ inch, 1 inch, etc.

In some embodiments, the protective barrier 20 may further include afront barrier panel 66, a rear barrier panel 68, and side barrier panels70, 72 as shown in FIGS. 5-7 . The front barrier panel 66 is arranged tolie along a front edge of the blower assembly 18 to obstruct view of theblower assembly 18 and provide a canopy that helps capture effluentsproduced on cooktop 16. The front barrier panel 66 includes a pluralityof segments 66A, 66B, 66C that are adjustable relative to one another tomatch the width 44 of the first and second barrier panels 34, 36. Therear barrier panel 68 is arranged to lie along a wall located behind theblower assembly 18. The side barrier panels 70, 72 are positioned onopposite lateral sides of the blower assembly 18 from one another andare arranged to lie against lateral side surfaces of the cabinetry 12.In the illustrative embodiment, each of the panels 34, 36, 66, 68, 70,72 are removable from one another and from the blower assembly 18 sothat the protective barrier 20 can be stored and/or shipped in a package80 as shown in FIG. 8 .

A method includes installing the protective barrier 20 for the cooktoprange hood 10 to the cabinetry 12 to protect surfaces of cabinetry 12located adjacent to an exhaust inlet 26. The method includes measuring acabinet width 44 between two cabinets arranged on opposite sides of theexhaust inlet 26 from one another. The first barrier panel 34 and asecond barrier panel 36 are also measured to determine if any of thebreakaway panels 50 or additional breakaway lines 62 should beremoved/bent to adjust the width 46 of the barrier 20. If the width 46of the barrier would be too large to fit within the width 44 of betweenthe two cabinets, at least one breakaway section from either panel base48 may be removed along a breakaway line 52. Once the barrier 20 isproperly sized to fit within the width 44 of the cabinets, each barrierpanel 34, 36 can be placed on opposite sides of the exhaust inlet 26from one another such that inner edges 54 of each barrier panel 34, 36coincide with the exhaust inlet 26. The barrier panels 34, 36 may beattached to the cabinetry by any suitable method including one or morefasteners, glue, or by adding or removing material to the cabinetry toprovide a ledge, groove, etc for the barrier panels 34, 36 to rest on.

After placing each barrier panel 34, 36 on opposite sides of the exhaustinlet 26, and at least a portion of the first and second barrier paneloverlap one another in a vertical direction. For example, each panelbase 48 may include front and rear arms 94, 95 defining the straightside edges 58, 60 of the breakaway panels 50. The barrier panels 34, 36can be slide or maneuvered inwardly toward one another so that the arms94, 95 at least partially overlap and the inner edges 54 extendcircumferentially around the inlet 26. In some embodiments, the arms 94,95 can be omitted such that the breakaway panels 50 form front and rearedges of the barrier panels 34, 36 and no overlapping of the panels 34,36 takes place when the barrier 20 is fully installed on the cabinetry12.

1. A range hood configured to be mounted to cabinetry above a cooktop, the range hood comprising: a blower assembly including a fan housing defining an inlet that opens toward the cooktop and a fan arranged to lie within the fan housing and configured to vent air and particles through the inlet, and a barrier configured to be coupled to a downwardly-facing surface of the cabinetry to lie between the fan housing and the cabinetry to block heat and particles from reaching the downwardly-facing surface of the cabinetry, wherein the barrier includes a first barrier panel and a second barrier panel, the first and second barrier panels are movable relative to the blower to increase or decrease a width of the barrier during installation so that the width of the barrier matches a cabinet width of the downwardly-facing surface of the cabinetry.
 2. The range hood of claim 1, wherein the first barrier panel and the second barrier panel each include a panel base and at least one breakaway section separated from the panel base by a frangible breakline and each of the breakaway sections is removable from the panel base to adjust the width of the barrier.
 3. The range hood of claim 2, wherein each breakaway section defines a concave edge.
 4. The range hood of claim 3, wherein each of the concave edges is a semi-circle to extend circumferentially around the inlet.
 5. The range hood of claim 2, wherein the panel base of the first barrier panel and the second barrier panel are arranged to lie in end-to-end relation with one another when the breakaway sections remain fixed to the panel base to establish a first width of the barrier and the cabinet width, and the panel base of the first barrier panel and the second barrier panel overlap with one another when the breakaway sections are removed from the panel base to establish a second width of the barrier and the cabinet width.
 6. The range hood of claim 5, wherein the panel base of at least one of the first and the second barrier panels includes additional breakaway lines that extend linearly from a front end of the panel base to a rear end of the panel base and that are configured to be separated from the rest of the panel base to decrease the width of the barrier separately from the at least one breakaway section of the first barrier panel and the second barrier panel.
 7. The range hood of claim 1, further comprising a pair of side barrier panels coupled to opposite lateral ends of the barrier, a front barrier panel coupled to a front end of the side barrier panels, and a rear barrier panel coupled to a rear end of the side barrier panels.
 8. A protective barrier configured to be coupled to a surface of cabinetry adjacent to an opening formed in the cabinetry to block heat and particles from reaching the surface of the cabinetry, the protective barrier comprising: a first barrier panel and a second barrier panel, wherein the first and second barrier panels are movable relative to the blower to increase or decrease a width of the barrier during installation so that the width of the barrier matches a cabinet width of the downwardly-facing surface of the cabinetry.
 9. The protective barrier of claim 8, wherein the first barrier panel and the second barrier panel each include a panel base and at least one breakaway section separated from the panel base by a frangible breakaway line and each of the breakaway sections is removable from the panel base to adjust the width of the barrier, each panel base having a first thickness and each breakaway line having a second thickness less than the first thickness.
 10. The protective barrier of claim 9, wherein each breakaway section defines a concave edge.
 11. The protective barrier of claim 10, wherein each of the concave edges is a semi-circle to extend circumferentially around the inlet.
 12. The protective barrier of claim 9, wherein the panel base of the first barrier panel and the second barrier panel are arranged to lie in end-to-end relation with one another when the breakaway sections remain fixed to the panel base to establish a first width of the barrier and the cabinet width, and the panel base of the first barrier panel and the second barrier panel overlap with one another when the breakaway sections are removed from the panel base to establish a second width of the barrier and the cabinet width.
 13. The protective barrier of claim 12, wherein the panel base of at least one of the first and the second barrier panels includes additional breakaway lines that extend linearly from a front end of the panel base to a rear end of the panel base and that are configured to be separated from the rest of the panel base to decrease the width of the barrier separately from the at least one breakaway section of the first barrier panel and the second barrier panel.
 14. The protective barrier of claim 8, further comprising a pair of side barrier panels coupled to opposite lateral ends of the barrier, a front barrier panel coupled to a front end of the side barrier panels, and a rear barrier panel coupled to a rear end of the side barrier panels.
 15. A method of installing a protective barrier for a range hood configured to protect a surface of cabinetry located adjacent to an exhaust inlet, the method comprising: defining a cabinet width between two cabinets arranged on opposite sides of the exhaust inlet from one another, obtaining a first barrier panel and a second barrier panel, each barrier panel including a panel base and at least one breakaway section coupled to the panel base by a breakaway line, removing at least one breakaway section from the panel base along the breakaway line; placing each barrier panel on opposite sides of the exhaust inlet from one another such that inner edges of each barrier panel coincide with the exhaust inlet.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein, after placing each barrier panel on opposite sides of the exhaust inlet, and at least a portion of the first and second barrier panel overlap one another in a vertical direction.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein each breakaway line is concave relative to the exhaust inlet.
 18. The method of claim 8, further comprising attaching: (i) a pair of side barrier panels to opposite lateral ends of the barrier, (ii) a front barrier panel to a front end of the side barrier panels, and (iii) a rear barrier panel to a rear end of the side barrier panels.
 19. The method of claim 15, wherein, prior to placing each barrier panel on opposite sides of the exhaust inlet, the method further includes bending or removing a portion of the panel base along an additional line that is spaced apart from the breakaway line.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the additional line is a linear line and each breakaway line is semi-circular. 